No one wants to buy infamous serial killer cannibal's childhood home

After more than six months, the home of prolific murderer and cannibal, Jeffrey Dahmer, has been pulled off the market.

More than two decades since Dahmer's evil exploits shocked the world, his name remains synonymous with "monster".

Dahmer's gruesome crime spree of murder, necrophilia and cannibalism came to an end in 1991 when Ohio police discovered severed heads stashed in his freezer, skulls in a filing cabinet and a kettle containing decomposing hands and male organs. He even saved a human heart "to eat later".

Jailed for 15 consecutive life terms and later murdered in 1994 by a fellow inmate, the serial killer has clearly not been forgotten by the general public, says realtor Rich Lubinksi, of Stouffer Reality Inc, who has been trying to sell Dahmer's childhood home in America's mid-west since April.

"We've taken it off the market," Mr Lubinski told 9 Stories this week.

Among those who made inquiries was PETA, the animal rights group, who had considered buying the property to transform it - in an ironic twist - into a vegan restaurant, but those plans were quickly ditched based on zoning restrictions.

The picturesque home described as "nestled in secluded woods" in Bath, Ohio, does indeed have a colorful history. It was where Dahmer grew up and where, at age 18, he murdered his first victim, 18-year-old hitchhiker Steven Mark Hicks, who he killed in 1978 and dismembered, scattering the remains outside his house.

Dahmer, a blonde-haired unassuming chocolate factory worker, went on to kill 16 other men and boys, aged 14 to 33.

He was finally caught in 1991 after one of his intended victims managed to escape. Dahmer eventually confessed to 17 killings, 16 in Wisconsin and one in Ohio.

He said in a television interview from jail that he targeted good looking young men at gay bars in Chicago and Milwaukee. He then lured them to his apartment, drugged their drinks and killed them.

He said the killings became "addictive" and he felt energized and sexually aroused when he ate the body parts. He also had sex with his victims' bodies, and kept their heads and organs as souvenirs.

Asked why he killed, he said: "I just wanted to have the person under my complete control, not having to consider their wishes, being able to keep them there as long as I wanted."

He viewed them as "an object for pleasure and not a living, breathing human being – "It seems to make it easier to do things you shouldn't do."

Dahmer, a master manipulator, stored the remains, including the hearts, of several men in his refrigerator.

"I always knew it was wrong but … the compulsive obsession with doing what I was doing, overpowered any feelings of revulsion."

Mr Lubinski said that Dahmer's home, listed for sale at US$295,000 ($337,000), obviously still has a stigma to it, despite having other owners since the serial killer moved out.

Mr Lubinski was required by law to disclose the history of a property to anyone who inspected it.

He said the three-bedroom home, described as perfect for entertaining, is likely to go back on the market next year.

"The house didn't kill anybody so, it's still a nice house," said Mr Lubinski, who believes that even though some people may be scared away by its dark past, to others it may make the home more appealing.

"Someone might actually buy it if they're interested in the history of the home, to do (Dahmer) tours or something," he said optimistically.